Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 27, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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short-handed
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the SemicolonSemicolons ( ; ) are used for two main purposes: to separate lengthy or complex items within a list and to connect independent clauses. They are often described as being more powerful than commas, while not quite as a strong as what mark of punctuation? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Emanuel SwedenborgSwedenborg was a Swedish scientist, theologian, and mystic. After beginning publication of Sweden's first scientific journal, he gradually shifted toward philosophy of nature and metaphysics, believing that the universe had a basically spiritual structure. In 1744, he claimed to have had a vision of Christ, and afterward spent the rest of his career interpreting the Bible and relating what he had seen in his visions. What was Swedenborg said to have predicted through a purported psychic ability? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Turkmenistan Gains Independence from the Soviet Union (1991)Following Turkmenistan's independence, the head of its Communist Party, Saparmurat Niyazov, became president. He developed a totalitarian cult of personality, isolating the Central Asian nation culturally and politically. Citizens were tested on their knowledge of Niyazov's autobiography and spiritual guide book, the Ruhnama—even on driver's license tests. Niyazov's successor later reversed many of his policies, including the decision to rename the months of the calendar after what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Niccolò Paganini (1782)An Italian violinist and composer whose virtuosity is the stuff of legend, Paganini was playing with an orchestra by the age of nine. By the time he reached adulthood, the renowned violinist had also earned a reputation as a shameless womanizer and inveterate gambler. The latter vice once even cost him his prized violin. Nevertheless, he had a profound influence on the evolution of violin technique. Why did the Catholic Church deny him burial in consecrated ground for years following his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To live was then in itself a delight, because living implied seeing.Edwin Abbott (1838-1926) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not do a stroke (of work)— To not do any work at all. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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Turkmenistan Independence Day (2025)This national holiday commemorates Turkmenistan's independence from the U.S.S.R. on October 27, 1991. Turkmenistan and other republics were gradually able to establish their own autonomous states due to the relaxation of Soviet rule influenced by the policy of perestroika. When the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, their independence was assured. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: podpod - A group of whales (or seals or dolphins), or a small flock of birds. More... boll weevil - From Old English wifel, "beetle," and boll, the pod of the cotton plant, which this beetle attacks. More... chalice - From Latin calix, "cup," and Greek kalux, "pod." More... vanilla - Once thought to be an aphrodisiac because its pod resembled the vagina; its name comes from the Spanish for "little vagina." More... | |